The present invention relates to a battery dispenser for housing and dispensing batteries. The invention also relates to a refill containing batteries that can be inserted and removed from the battery dispenser.
Button cell batteries, which can be used to operate small devices such as hearing aids, for example, can be difficult to remove from their packaging and to insert into a device in a proper orientation because of their small size. Metal-air button cell batteries, for example, are activated upon contact with oxygen, and therefore have a tab system that covers an air entry port of the metal-air cell prior to use. The tab system functions to limit the transport of water vapor in or out of the cell and limits the ingress of air into the cell sufficient to activate the battery until such time as the cell is placed into service. Therefore when the batteries are removed from the dispenser the tab system is removed and the ports are exposed to the oxygen of the ambient environment, thereby enabling the cell to be activated. The handling of these batteries in removing them from the battery dispenser, removing the tab system, and inserting the batteries into the a device can be difficult, especially in the event a user suffers from reduced dexterity, poor vision or another physical infirmity.
Efforts to address some of these issues are found in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,825 B1, hereby incorporated by reference, which discloses a battery dispenser that enables the user to remove product from a battery dispenser without having to handle the product at any point during the dispensing process or during a process which inserts the battery in an end use device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,799 B1, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a battery dispenser in which the cover and base are rotatable with respect to each other about a common axis and the user can attach a refill base after removal of a spent base. However, once the cover and base are closed, the cover and base can become inadvertently separated during rotation of the cover during dispensing of the batteries.
None of the above references, however, allow for new product to be inserted into the battery dispenser while also providing a mechanism that ensures batteries are secure inside the dispenser during dispensing.